Queer politics

Just when I thought Washington couldn’t become more of a circus of petty power struggles and refusal to cooperate for progress, I’ve been proven wrong again. Last Thursday, the House voted to expand federal hate crime definitions to include violent crimes based on sexuality and gender. The legislation also includes provisions to make it easier for federal law enforcement to assist local officials with prosecuting bias-motivated crimes. Similar legislation is currently moving through the Senate as well.\nThis should be good news. Violence and hateful sentiment against GLBT individuals in this country is prevalent and damnable. Any step toward embracing that sector of the population after how they’ve been treated by the Bush administration is a positive one. The kicker is that the Republicans are, once more, sticking to their homophobic, paltry, little guns. The White House has already issued a promise that if this legislation passes both houses, the president is set to veto it on the spot. Are they serious? Indeed, they truly are foolish enough to choose the arena of hate crime legislation to play out the ongoing partisan playground temper tantrum that has become the norm since the November power shift.\nAnd the Democrats are trying to look squeaky clean, saying, “See, we’re the nice ones.” Oh, shut up. You’re just doing it to spite the Republicans and you know it. The liberals did their part in this disgusting display of childishness by refusing to add hate crime protections for the military like the conservatives wanted. Just like the conservatives, instead of recognizing the need to expand hate-crime protection to all, the Democrats thumbed their nose on party lines and thus the president will kill it when it hits his desk. Well done.\nThe reasoning behind the conservative opposition to the bill is my personal favorite part of all this. To give violence against gays the label and harsher penalties of a “hate crime,” they claim, is to criminalize the right to express moral opposition to homosexuality. Essentially: “Beating up queer kids is the American way! You take that away and the terrorists have won!” Sorry to quibble with you, Mr. President, but I’m pretty sure torturing, mutilating or murdering another human being on account of who they love is not protected speech. That is not expressing moral opposition; that’s being sick and deserving the fullest punishment of law.\nThe conservatives also claim that it gives unfair special treatment to GLBT individuals. Is there an echo in here? Because that sounds so very familiar. Oh, yes, that’s the same defense the conservatives use whenever homosexuals demand equal protection. How unfair of homosexuals and gender-queers to feel they deserve to walk down the street or live in their homes without fear of violence against their persons, families or properties on account of their identities.\nWhile the Democrats and Republicans are paralyzing the country with their struggles of spite, marginalized Americans are caught in the middle. How many more violent crimes against homosexuals and gender-queers will go without being investigated and without being punished while the charade in Washington plays on? Washington, shame on you.